Vlll 
PREFACE. 
Oil looking over this Synopsis, a more than common deficiency 
will be observed in some of its branches : little attention has been 
paid to the Fossils of the Classes Polypi, Padiaria, Crustacea, and 
Fishes; and although many hundred species have been long known, 
no names have been assigned to them. The same would have been 
the case with the Plants, but for the recent researches of M. Adolphe 
Brongniart in this Country, by which a new light has been thrown on 
our Fossil Flora. The author trusts, that by these defects being made 
public, an interest will be excited to supply them. Mr. Hennah’s 
Paper on the Animal Remains of the Plymouth Limestone, lately 
read before the Geological Society, wall add much to our knowledge 
of the Fossils of the Class Polypi, wdiich abound in that formation ; 
and it is confidently hoped that Mr. Miller, of Bristol, has not aban- 
doned the work on the Spongia, Ac. of the Green Sand of Wiltshire, 
of which he some years ago published a Prospectus. It may also be 
interesting to the Oryetologist to be informed, that Dr. Fleming has 
a good series of the Corals of the Suffolk Crag, (all of which are 
unnamed), for the purpose of assigning names, which we hope soon 
to be favoured with. In the Echinidce, according to a statement 
made by Mr. R. C. Taylor,* there are more than one hundred species 
at present known, without names ; this defect, we are led to hope, 
the author of the “ Natural History of the Crinoidea ” will supply. 
Of the Crustacea, several unnamed species of different Families occur 
in the Chalk Marl of Ringmer, Sussex, which are figured in tab. 29 
of Mr. Mantell’s valuable Work “On the Fossils of the South Downs p 
and Parkinson, in his “ Outlines of Oryctologyf says, that “more 
than thirty species have been collected in the Isle of Sheppey; 
whereas, only three from that locality have been named. 
In the general arrangement, the author has adopted the ascending 
series, as that used by the Geologists of the present day: he has fol¬ 
lowed M. Brongniart in the Plants, the Chevalier de la Marck in thsit 
part of the Invertebrata, in the knowledge of which he stands pre¬ 
eminent, and Dr. Fleming in the other branches. The stratagraphic 
sequence observed is conformable to recent discoveries. 
There are many Organic Remains which could not be introduced 
in a scientific arrangement; these, together with some explanations, 
* Vide “ Illustrations of Antediluvian Zoology and Botany/’—“ Magazine of 
Natural History/’ vol. iii. p. 2T8. 
